Kentucky WBB remains winless in SEC with 64-60 loss at Georgia

The Kentucky women’s basketball team knew the Bulldogs could bark. Now, they know they can bite.

On Thursday evening, Kentucky fell 64-60 to the Georgia Bulldogs in thrilling fashion. With the loss, the ‘Cats are 0-3 in conference play, falling to Arkansas and Missouri before UGA. Kentucky has no excuses for the performance.

Tough loss on the road. pic.twitter.com/PSuyzYdxmI

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 6, 2023

Robyn Benton, who leads UK with 16.5 points per game, played 35 minutes after missing Kentucky’s previous game due to a dislocated finger. Benton led the ‘Cats with 19 points while shooting 5-16 from the field. Additionally, Benton committed four turnovers.

Benton wasn’t the only player struggling to take care of the ball. As a team, Kentucky committed 27 turnovers. The ‘Cats shot 22-50 (44%) from the field and a respectable 8-22 (36%) from beyond the arc. Careless possessions led to a catastrophic end for the ‘Cats, and it was obvious from the start.

Back-and-forth first half

Death, taxes and turnovers. Kentucky forces them and they suffer from them; both scenarios are equally impactful. Kentucky forced nine Georgia turnovers in the first half, causing headaches for the Bulldogs with a full-court press.

This stat sounds great until you realize the ‘Cats choked away 12 possession of their own. Georgia capitalized on Kentucky’s mistakes, scoring 15 points off UK turnovers. But not all went wrong for the Wildcats.

In her triumphant return, Benton scored a first-half team-high 10 points, including her 1,000th career point late in the first quarter. Admittedly, the 5-foot-7 guard shot a poor 2-8 from the field in the first 20 minutes. Energized by their leader’s presence, the ‘Cats still took a solid 16-10 lead into the second period.

FOR 1,000 CAREER POINTS. ☔️@IAmRobynnnn pic.twitter.com/aPT85LZ9Nl

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 6, 2023

Nonetheless, Georgia wasn’t about to lie down in the doghouse. The Bulldogs rattled off seven unanswered points to begin the second frame. Fittingly, Kentucky answered with a vengeful 11-1 run. The team’s success was due to their paint presence.

In the first half, Kentucky out-rebounded Georgia 22-13. Consequently, UK scored twice as many second-chance points as Georgia. After a three-minute Georgia scoring drought, Kentucky was ahead 29-23 at the break.

Disappointing Kentucky finish in a fiery game

The game of runs continued in the second half. Kentucky put up the first six points in the third frame only for Georgia to retaliate with a 12-2 run. Kentucky’s offense stalled, going over three and a half minutes without scoring a point.

Kennedy Cambridge then stepped up as the Wildcats’ hero. The freshman guard broke Kentucky’s dry spell with a 3-pointer from the corner. Spurred on by Cambridge’s heroics, Kentucky drained their final four shots of the third period to secure a 47-41 lead heading into the fourth.

HUGE finish to the third quarter. 👊

Kentucky makes four of its last four attempts from the field as UK leads, 47-41 going into the fourth. pic.twitter.com/NvDxMuRl5y

— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) January 6, 2023

Despite Cambridge’s heroics, the ‘Cats couldn’t find a fairytale ending. Early in the fourth period, Georgia ran off seven unanswered points to take the lead. With two minutes left, Maddie Scherr drained a 3-pointer and nailed two free throws to tie the game at 58 points.

Georgia scored. Then, Benton answered as if on cue. With 20 seconds left, the game was tied. One second later, disaster struck. Georgia guard Alisha Lewis scored her first and only points of the game to take a 3-point lead over UK. Kentucky failed to strike back. Ball game.

What hurts the most is Kentucky played well (when you ignore turnovers). The ‘Cats out-rebounded a towering Georgia squad, recorded more blocks and dished out more assists than the opponent. Yet, a loss will only be remembered as a loss.

The road doesn’t get any easier for Kentucky. The ‘Cats face No. 7 LSU on Sunday and follows the event up with a face-off against No. 1 South Carolina just four days later. Kentucky will take on the Tigers at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Rupp Arena.